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Art and Culture of Tamilnadu
R. Nagaswamy
10. THE NAṞṞUṆAIPPAN TEMPLE AT NAṆIPAḶḶI
Naṇippaḷḷi, also called Puñjai, is about nine kilometres from Kaveripaṭṭiṉam. That it was a great centre of Śaivism is attested by the visit of Saint Tirunāvukkarasu (Appar), the contemporary of the Pallava king, Narasimhavarman I (630-660). The village was also graced by Tirugñānasambandar during the same period. Nambi Āṇḍār Nambi, who lived in the 10th century A.D., states in his Kaliṟṟuppadiyar and also in Tiru Ulāmālai that Naṇippaḷḷi was a desert land which became fertile by the auspicious visit of Jañaasambandar. The temple of Naṟṟuṇaiappaṉ and his consort Parratarajaputri? is thus well-known. The present temple is a Kaṟṟaḷi i.e., a stone structure ascribed to the period of the Chöḻa king, Āditya II. The front hall and the garbhagṛha are spacious with high ceilings, and it is said that this was so designed by the king to permit his elephant bringing Tirumañjana water into the garbhagṛha and pouring it on the image of the deity.
The temple has a series of remarkable sculptures in its devakoṣṭas. On the southern niche in the front is a beautiful image of Ganeśa with four arms, seated on a pedestal. In the next niche is Agastya, the Tamil sage, seated on a high pedestal with two arms. His right arm is held in chinmudra while the left holds kuṇḍika. The head is adorned with matted locks, While a long beard is noticed on the face. The upavīta is ribbon-like. Though the sage is shown stout with a big belly, it is perhaps the finest Agastya Sculpture known to exist.
The southern niche of the garbhagṛha is adorned by Dakṣiṇamūrti of remarkable beauty. The Lord is seated on a pedestal with his right leg resting on the apasmara and the left placed on the right thigh. The God is shown with four arms, holding an akṣamāla and fire in upper arms and chinmudra and the vedas in the lower arms. A jaṭābhara adorns the head. On the right of his leg is shown a naga while on the left are two antelopes. On either side are sages receiving the great message. The sculpture is the embodiment of all divinely charm and grace attributed to Dakṣiṇāmūrti by the great advaita philosopher, Śaṅkarāchārya, in his Dakṣiṇāmūrti Śataka.
At the back of the garbhagṛha the devakoṣṭa carries an interesting Liṅgodhbhava. A prominent lotus with well-spread petals is shown below the boar aspect of Viṣṇu. In the northern niche of the garbhagṛha a charming Brahma is found standing on a lotus pedestal with three heads and four arms. It resembles the Brahma sculpture in the Nageśvara temple of Kumbhakoṇam. A remarkable Durgā is noticed in the northern niche. The flexions of the body, the tribhaṅga posture and the face are charming. A trident is shown behind her right. At the top of the panel on either side of her head are shown her mounts, the lion and the antelope. To the right by the side of her feet, is a seated figure cutting off his own head and on her left is a kneeling hero offering worship. A buffalo's head is shown below the feet of the Devi.
On the adhiṣṭāna are noticed miniature sculptured panels depicting Rāmāyaṇa scenes and other episodes. An impressive image of Chandikeśvara is now in the temple. It must be admitted that no description could do adequate justice to the beauty of the sculptures. Chöḻa art is noticed at its best here.
There is a beautiful metal image of Nataraja with his consort in the temple.
There are many inscriptions in this temple. According to the inscriptions, Nanipaḷḷi was a Brahmadeya in Akkur nāḍu, a subdivision of Jayamkoṇḍachöḻavaḷanāḍu. An inscription in the 22nd regnal year of Rājakeśarivarman Rājarāja I, records a gift of ten velis land by the king for the maintenance of a feeding house, Aruḻmoḻidevan, and for the daily offerings of havirbali to God Āḍavallān in the temple. It also records another tax-free gift of five velis for the annual festival in the month of Chittirai in the 17th regnal year of the king. Another inscription in the third year of Parakeśarivarman Rājendra II records are agreement to pay the taxes on certain lands in lieu of the interest on eighty kācus received in parts by the assembly from an officer Irumuḍichöḻa Muvendavëlar in the 36th year of Vijayarājendradeva who died on elephant back and in the 3rd year it is recorded that the produce from the land was to be utilised for the midday service to the images of Tiruvalampuramuḍaiya nāyanār, his consort and Piḷḷaiyār set up in the temple by the officer. It also registers a gift of thirty kaḻañjus made to the temple for beating the kachchölam on the marriage of Āḻappiṟantār, made in the 32nd year of Parakeśari Rājendra Chöḻa deva who took Pūrvadeśa, Gaṅgai and Kiḍāram.
Another inscription, in the 16th year of Rājendra records an agreement by the assembly of Talañchaṅgaḍu to pay the taxes on behalf of the temple to meet the expenses of the daily worship and offerings and to hold special festival once a year to the image of Ṛṣabhavāhana deva for securing victory to the king's arms. This refers to a metal image of Ṛiṣabhavāhana deva, which unfortunately is missing. Another inscription in the second year of Rājadhirāja refers to a gift of money realised on taxes for worship and offerings to the image Mūlapuruṣar Vināyaka piḷḷaiyar set up in the temple. During the third year of the same king certain privileges were granted by the temple authorities to certain members of the anuloma rathakāra castes, including blacksmiths, goldsmiths, carpenters and stone masons. After eleven years an order was issued by the assembly to four individuals for gifting two hundred kācus for setting up metal images of Tiruchchalavëlaikkārar who sacrified their lives by entering fire to attest the ownership of the temple of certain devadana lands as against the same by these four persons who had ultimately to make them over to the temple and a make an additional gift of land for worship to these images.